3 posts categorized "Literacy"

July 11, 2014

Now through September 15, 2014, the Books about Town public art exhibit takes place all over London.

There are 50 unique BookBenches to locate, like the Shakespeare and Paddington Bear ones featured in this post—all of which will be auctioned at the exhibit's end in order to raise money for literacy initiatives in the UK through the National Literacy Trust. (The Books about Town site features some maps and quizzes to get your started on the hunt.)

Wild in Art, who is partnering with National Literacy Trust to put this on, has art education initiatives that engage students on issues both in their immediate and worldwide communities. UK artists donated their time and talents to create these benches; check out the Instagram account to see how they look out and about.

August 05, 2012

In 2010, Todd Bol and Rick Brooks joined forces to share their passion for literacy in a community-based way. They created Little Free Library, which encourages people to create spaces, often on their front lawns, where they can donate and borrow books. (See above picture as an example.)

Others saw the benefits of having such a simple and accessible book exchange on their street and created their own. This growing movement is bringing free books to neighborhoods worldwide.

Potential positives I see:

Folks have a place to put books they don’t want anymore and know they will be well used.

Lenders and borrowers can see what their neighborhood likes to read. (Could book-group discussions come out of this?)

A Little Free Library Cafe right next to it! (OK, an honor-system, weather-proof espresso machine may be too much to ask. Would a nearby for-pay lemonade stand do?)

Do you have one in your neighborhood? If not, are you considering starting one? If you don’t have a front lawn, like many in cities or any apartment dweller, can you think of another fitting spot?

-To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. -To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity, and wisdom across generations.-To build more than 2,510 libraries around the world - more than Andrew Carnegie!

March 26, 2009

If you care about storytelling, literacy or education, I recommend reading "Fewer than 10 pct. of blind Americans read Braille" by Ben Nuckols of the Associated Press.The title's statistic of "Fewer than 10 percent" didn't mean much to me until I read of the profoundly negative effects on blind Americans of not being fluent in Braille:

...Today Braille is considered by many to be too difficult, too outdated, a last resort.

Instead,
teachers ask students to rely on audio texts, voice-recognition
software or other technology. And teachers who know Braille often must
shuttle between schools, resulting in haphazard instruction, the report
says.

"You can find good teachers
of the blind in America, but you can't find good programs," said Marc
Maurer, the group's president [the National Federation of the Blind]. "There is not a commitment to this
population that is at all significant almost anywhere."

Using
technology as a substitute for Braille leaves blind people illiterate,
the federation said, citing studies that show blind people who know
Braille are more likely to earn advanced degrees, find good jobs and
live independently.

"It's really sad that so
many kids are being shortchanged," said Debby Brackett of Stuart, Fla.,
who pressured schools to provide capable Braille teachers for her
12-year-old daughter, Winona.

One study found
that 44 percent of participants who grew up reading Braille were
unemployed, compared with 77 percent for those who relied on print.
Overall, blind adults face 70 percent unemployment...

The article cites technology like audio books as hampering the way blind
people learn to read and write. Couldn't someone, perhaps using
a new technology, improve Braille learning, instruction and
communication? (Does anyone reading this post know anything about this?
Please leave a comment if you do!)

On another note, if any group is deprived of outlets to tell their own stories, their experiences will often go unnoticed. Following this, when their stories disappear, the group itself becomes less noticed in larger society.

Writing and reading stories is so crucial to children's (and adult's) growth and development. Clearly the blind population is not being served. I wonder how many great storytellers, thinkers and inventors among this group are being kept from reaching their full potential because of low Braille literacy.

Inspired by the article, I looked up Louie Braille on Wikipedia. He developed his system of raised dotswhen he was 15 years old.

Hello and welcome!

My name is Kristin Gorski. I recently earned my doctorate (EdD) in instructional technology and media. My research focuses on technology and literacies, writing in digital spaces, and how media literacy may support academic literacy (among other incredibly interesting topics). On occasion, I’m also a freelance writer and editor. “Write now is good.” is my personal blog about writing, creativity and inspiration (with healthy doses of technology in relevant places). I started it in blogging's heyday (2006) and still post to it, time permitting. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, have writing/technology/creativity info to share, or want to say, "Hi," contact me at kgwritenow (at) yahoo dot com.
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